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. Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and
largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional
exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. POWDER SPRINGS, Ga.
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pelted the covered picnic pavilion at Ben Hill Strickland Sr. Memorial Park
unrelentingly, a steady rain quickly becoming a downpour.It was the kind of wet
afternoon only a duck could love, but that didnt deter Rajaan Bennetts former
teammates, classmates, friends and family members. One by one, they trickled
into the park to share stories and pay tribute to their fallen friend, who would
have been 25 this fall.Bennett, a Vanderbilt football signee and honors student
at McEachern High School in suburban Atlanta, was shot and killed in a
murder-suicide on Feb. 18, 2010, while trying to protect his family. The gunman,
Clifton Steger, was the estranged boyfriend of Bennetts mother, Narjaketha
Bennett, and had broken into the home and taken the family hostage in the wee
hours of the morning before shooting Rajaan and then turning the gun on
himself.As short as Rajaans life was, it was profoundly impactful, and those who
knew him best have gone to painstaking efforts to keep his memory alive. So when
Narjaketha reached out to Rajaans friends to inform them of this story, nobody
blinked when the day selected for everyone to gather happened to coincide with a
monsoon.By the time Narjaketha showed up at the park with her son, Desyvon, and
daughter, Narcharlette, as many as 10 people were already there waiting, and
that number grew as others got off of work and fought through traffic all the
way from downtown Atlanta.Ruth Ohanu, a biology major attending Georgia State,
was there. She rode to school in the mornings with Rajaan along with another
friend, Marissa Dean, and they used to entertain each other by talking about
everything they were going to do with their lives.Rajaan was so competitive and
would rub it in your face if he got a better grade in a class than you, but he
was never condescending, Ohanu recalled. Thats just who he was, always pushing
you to do better, and the thing I remember most about those conversations is
that his hopes and dreams always began and ended with helping his family.Cousins
Jaquesh Hunter and Taeron Brown were also there along with a cluster of former
teammates, including Treston Moore, Robert Smith and Brandon Cleveland. Moore
said he will forever be indebted to Rajaan for helping him woo his girlfriend.If
it werent for Rajaan, I wouldnt have my son [Brayden], Moore said.Marcquis
Roberts, who will be a senior linebacker at Kansas this season, was home that
week and also swung by. Roberts started his career at South Carolina before
transferring to Kansas and wears No. 5 in honor of Rajaan, who was a year ahead
of Roberts at McEachern.Demarius Matthews, one of Rajaans closest friends, was a
captain with Rajaan at McEachern and went on to play collegiately at Georgia
State. He showed up a little bit late after picking up his three kids after work
and brought them along. His oldest son, Jhakari, is named after Rajaan, whose
middle name was Jhakari.Janine Laura, who had several classes with Rajaan,
hustled over from her job at a physical therapy clinic.He showed us how to live,
and thats why we are sitting out here six years later in the rain and talking
about him, Laura said.Roberts, gazing into the distance as the rain continued to
pour, nodded his head slowly.Hes one of the reasons I keep pushing, Roberts
said. He had a drive to succeed thats in every one of us. School gets tough.
Football gets tough, and I just think about him. Ive been through three
surgeries in college, an ACL and both shoulders, but I know he wouldnt quit.He
was at his best when things were the toughest.***That morning is still a blur
for everybody who suffered through it. Narjaketha had recently broken up for
good with Steger after trying to end it several other times. He didnt take the
split well and continued sending harassing text messages and begging for her to
take him back. Steger had been living with the family before Narjaketha told him
he had to find someplace else to live and was even with the family at the school
two weeks earlier to celebrate Rajaan signing with Vanderbilt.I changed my cell
number four times, and he kept getting my new number, Narjaketha said. He was
never abusive, but was asking me to write checks for him, money I didnt have,
and I knew it was time for him to go.Rajaan had been the man of the house since
he was 10, when his father, Charles, was killed in a head-on car collision soon
after moving the family from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Atlanta area. Wise
beyond his years, Rajaan gladly took on the dual role of big brother and
surrogate father to Desyvon and Narcharlette. Desyvon, who is non-verbal and
developmentally delayed, requires special care, and Rajaan was always right
there to give him baths and cook meals for both his brother and sister,
especially with his mother working long hours in Georgia Techs parking and
transportation department.The week before the murder, Steger would sit outside
Bennetts house in his car, calling and texting Narjaketha, who had already
discussed with officers at her work what she needed to do to keep Steger away
from her and her kids. They advised her to go see police in Powder Springs,
which she was planning to do on her next off day.I just remember one of the last
things [Steger] said to me was, Those things that make you smile will make you
cry, said Narjaketha, who cant get those chilling words out of her head.That
next morning, she awoke at 2 a.m. with Steger standing over her and holding a
22-caliber pistol to her head. He initially ordered her, the three kids and
Narjakethas brother, Taiwan Hunter, into a bathroom. Taiwan was staying with the
Bennett family at the time and was sleeping on the couch. Later, Steger changed
his mind and allowed Desyvon to remain in one of the bedrooms, where he was
watching television. Steger instructed Narjaketha to collect all of the cell
phones.It was dark, and Rajaan just kept trying to reassure me and would say,
Its going to be OK, mom, Narjaketha recalled. What [Steger] first told me was
that he wanted me to kill him with his gun, and then he made me tape everybody
up and put them in the bathroom.Thinking quickly, Narjaketha told Steger she had
recently lost her phone, but in truth had hidden it under her pillow. She
managed to sneak it to Rajaan, and when Steger left the bathroom briefly, Rajaan
called 911 and whispered to police what was happening.Julie Collins, a
lieutenant in the Powder Springs Police Department, was one of the first
officers on the scene. She said Rajaan saved lives by having the presence of
mind and courage to call 911.In my honest opinion, after doing this for 20
years, my belief is that [Steger] would have ended up taking all of their lives
had Rajaan not made that call, Collins said. He was very brave. Most of the
time, when guns come out, people run. But this kid protected his sister until
the very end and did everything he could to protect his family. He would have
gone to any length to protect them.When the police showed up at the house,
Steger pulled Narjaketha out of the bathroom and instructed her to go tell them
everything was OK. When she got to the front door, she was hysterical.All we
heard then were footsteps, Taiwan said. He was out of his mind, love-struck and
crazy, and coming back for us.Taiwan met Steger at the bathroom door, wrestled
with him and did his best to get the gun. In doing so, Taiwan was shot in the
abdomen and managed to stagger out the front door of the house and was quickly
grabbed by officers.Im from the streets. I knew what was about to happen, said
Taiwan, who underwent surgery for a punctured lung. He was going to kill us all,
and I tried to grab the gun. All I heard were two shots, and then I look down
and see blood, and my ears start ringing. It was like it was forever between
those two shots. I knew I might die, but at least my nephew and niece would
live.After tussling with Taiwan, an enraged Steger turned his attention back to
the bathroom, where Rajaan had managed to undo his tape by then. Steger barreled
in and started shooting indiscriminately. All Narcharlette remembers is Rajaan
grabbing her and covering her up in the bathtub.Rajaan was on top of me, and
everything just went silent, Narcharlette said. I heard the gun fall and could
see [Steger] lying there on the floor.Her only concern was her big brother.I
kept telling Rajaan to get up, to get up off of me, that it was over, that
[Steger] had shot himself, Narcharlette said, her voice trailing off and her
eyes moist. It happened so fast. ... I had blood on my hands when I crawled out
from under Rajaan and even poured water on his face to try and wake him up. He
wasnt moving.Rajaan had been shot through the heart. His last two acts before
dying were shielding his sister from a spray of bullets that would have almost
certainly killed her and then calling out to his mother, who by that time was
out of the house. But Rajaan had no way of knowing if she were dead or alive at
that point.He was yelling for Mom. Thats the last thing I heard him say,
Narcharlette said.***Its the kind of unspeakable tragedy that resonates. It
resonates in the Powder Springs community, where Rajaan was revered. It
resonates across the Vanderbilt campus, where even three head coaches later,
Derek Mason speaks with conviction about Rajaans place in the Commodore family.
And most of all, it resonates in the hearts and minds of Rajaans classmates,
teammates and coaches at McEachern, not to mention those teammates at Vanderbilt
he never got a chance to play with.I never met Rajaan until the recruiting
process, but it didnt take me long to realize what we were getting, just the
entirety of the man he was, said former Vanderbilt defensive end Kyle Woestmann,
who was a part of the same 2010 signing class as Rajaan.Ill never forget him
texting me one night and saying, Hey, bro, Im going to Vandy. I couldnt have
been happier. We were pulling together one of the best classes in Vanderbilt
history. We already had Andre Hal and Jordan Matthews, and Rajaan was going to
be the cherry on top.
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I still pray about it, pray for his family and pray for him.Its amazing how many
lives that kid touched in just 18 years.The tears shed for Rajaan would have
filled up any football stadium. His friends and family still miss him dearly.
They still love to tell stories about him, from how he loved making nachos for
friends, to his penchant for playing pranks, to the way he punished would-be
tacklers on the football field.But more than anything, they want to make sure
Rajaans legacy endures.I really think he was an angel. Theres no way one person
could bring that many people together, Cleveland said.Marcus Gamble, one of
Rajaans closest friends, was talking on the phone with Rajaan the night before
Rajaan was killed.Youre never supposed to question God. But of all people, why
did that have to happen to Rajaan? said Gamble, whose parents, Willie and
Priscilla, were also a big part of Rajaans life. Its like I said at his funeral.
If I could go up there for him to heaven and let him come back down here and be
with his family, knowing everything he meant to them, I would do it.
Unfortunately, it doesnt work like that.Taiwan admits the ordeal shook his faith
as well.Even if Rajaan never played a down in the NFL, he was going to be a
millionaire. He was that special, Taiwan said. He was his mamas savior and
became a man when everybody else his age was just a boy. He had to because his
daddy died so young. He called me, Unc, and would always look at me and say,
Unc, Ive got big plans for this family. Desyvon was only 17 when Rajaan was
killed, and Narcharlette was 14. Desyvon knows his brother is gone, but is
unable to express himself. Still, hes rarely without a smile or his trusty
Vanderbilt cap and glowingly points to Rajaans picture in the familys living
room. Narcharlette took Rajaans murder the hardest.She wrote a gripping essay as
a freshman in high school detailing the last minutes of Rajaans life. It was
titled The Little Sisters Story, and in it she refers to her brother as a super
hero.Id dream sometimes that he was back, and then youd wake up, Narcharlette
said. It just didnt seem real. None of it did, and I didnt want to believe he
was really gone. Hed always been right there, always such a big part of our
lives. If he was cooking, hed make me do the dishes, and maybe wed split the
laundry, but he took care of us.The ultimate team player in football, Rajaan
never had any problem prioritizing what was most important. There were times he
had to leave practice early to pick up his brother and get him home safely.Hes a
kid who never missed practice, McEachern football coach Kyle Hockman said. But
hed let you know if he had to leave at a certain time to go take care of his
brother. Thats who he was to the core.***On the football field, Bennett
blossomed into a coveted running back prospect and rushed for more than 1,800
yards and 28 touchdowns his senior season. He helped lead McEachern to an
unbeaten regular season in 2009 and was the heartbeat of that team. Even now,
the McEachern team will watch some of his pregame speeches that were captured on
video.He was big and thick and ran hard, but his greatest attribute was his
ability to raise everybody elses game, said McEachern athletic director and
former head football coach Jimmy Dorsey, who coached Rajaan his first two years
in high school.Several SEC schools offered Rajaan, but he chose Vanderbilt to
the delight of then-Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson, now a member of the College
Football Playoff selection committee. Johnson knew what Rajaan could do for his
program and, just as importantly, knew what Vanderbilt could do for him. Rajaan
planned to major in architecture and planned to become the first person in his
family to graduate from college.You never imagine anything like that happening,
Johnson said. As football coaches, you learn early on to deal with adversity,
but something like that isnt a part of football. Thats something that sticks
with you. He was doing the right things, the right way. He was building a better
life, and it was paying off. He had the talent and the will to do anything he
wanted, and thats why he wanted to come to Vanderbilt.And then, just like that,
hes gone.As fate would have it, Johnson never coached another game. He resigned
five months later, just weeks before the start of preseason practice, after nine
years as Vanderbilts coach. At the time, Johnson said football was not life ...
but that it consumes your life and mused, You only have so many years to
live.Johnson insisted at the time there wasnt a singular factor that led to his
decision. But as he looks back now, he concedes seeing such a promising kid
struck down so tragically took an irreparable toll.I cant say that was the
reason. Im not going to say that, Johnson said. A lot of factors go into a
decision like that, but Rajaans death was certainly a factor. You hurt for a kid
like that, hurt for his family, and the fact that you dont get an opportunity to
coach a guy you knew was the perfect fit for your school and your program hurts,
too.Johnson endured a similar tragedy in 2004 when Vanderbilt running back Kwane
Doster was shot and killed in Tampa, Florida, while sitting in the backseat of a
friends car.You never forget those things as long as you live, Johnson said. I
remember both phone calls like it was yesterday. Its hard to get it out of your
head. Both were great kids, and I mean great kids. You see other kids mess up
and go on, and here are two kids who wanted to get ahead, who wanted to help
their families, and then somebody cuts them down.***To this day, nobody in the
Bennett family has gone back to that house on Woodcrest Drive where the murder
occurred. Narcharlette said her stomach knots up if shes anywhere in the area.
In fact, Taiwan said the family as a whole has never really discussed that
horrific morning.We just left it there, Taiwan said. It was too painful to talk
about.Narjaketha refuses to speak Stegers name, and until ESPN.com approached
her, she had not spoken publicly about the details of her sons murder. She
chooses her words carefully, smiling softly any time somebody offers a
remembrance of Rajaan. She wears his class ring on her right index finger and
has his signature tattooed on her left wrist.She and Narcharlette also wear
blue-and-gold bands on their wrists with the words from Rajaans last Facebook
post: Dont be scared. On their living room wall hangs a framed No. 5 Vanderbilt
jersey, which was presented to the family when Vanderbilt honored Rajaan prior
to a 2010 game.Only in the past few months has Narjaketha brought herself to
open a huge box of letters written by students at McEachern following Rajaans
death. They ranged from his closest friends to those who barely knew him but
admired what he stood for on and off the field.I just felt like its time to talk
about it, time to make sure everyone knows how much Rajaan meant to all of us,
to make sure we keep his memory alive, and maybe our story will help somebody
else out there, Narjaketha said.At McEachern, there are heartfelt reminders of
Rajaan everywhere. His old locker is now a shrine. It was moved to the front of
the Indians locker room, and everything in it was left as is, including a pair
of his cleats and old newspaper clippings.A tradition at McEachern home football
games is for fans to hold up five fingers just before the opening kickoff. Its
their way of remembering Rajaan, whose face is emblazoned on a plaque adjacent
to the field. The McEachern players pass the memorial as they make their way to
the field.Its our way of Keeping 5 Alive, Hockman said. Its that strength and
faith, what he stood for as a person, and we want to keep that legacy going in
our program as a core value, but then also keep his spirit and what he meant to
us.A lot of the kids playing for us now probably didnt know him, and some of
them may not remember seeing him play, but they know what Rajaan Bennett
embodied -- and thats never going away.Nobody at McEachern has worn No. 5 since
Rajaan was killed, and they never will as long as Im here, Hockman
said.Narcharlette is living, breathing proof of how Rajaan lived his life. His
selflessness, which even before his heroism on the morning he died, was a big
part of what endeared so many people to him.He gave up his life to save mine,
Narcharlette whispers softly.***Now 20, Narcharette cherishes her brothers
memory and is using it as motivation to join the Air Force. She knows its what
Rajaan would have wanted for her and admits she went into a shell after he was
murdered.But I always felt him there with me. We all did, and weve done our best
to draw from his strength, Narcharlette said.It has been a struggle financially
for the Bennett family. Theyve moved a couple of times. Narjakethas father died
of cancer two months after Rajaan was killed, and she lost her job at Georgia
Tech after having to spend more time taking care of her mother, who died of
congestive heart failure in October.Theyre buoyed, though, by Rajaans ultimate
sacrifice. Eight days before he was killed, Rajaan wrote an essay for his
multi-cultural literature class titled Strength. In one of the excerpts, he
talked about strength being a blanket to protect you from this cold world and
vowed later in the essay that every obstacle has a way around it.The only thing
that stopped Rajaan on that bitterly cold and sorrow-filled morning six years
ago was a bullet. And even then, he was busy saving others until his last
breath.Everything I do, I try to build Rajaan into it, said Matthews, softly
rubbing the head of his 4-year-old son, who serves as a constant reminder of his
dear friend. My oldest son is named after Rajaan, and even with all that, I
guess I still havent dealt with it like Im supposed to. But you just keep
moving, keep believing and keep loving.He taught us that.
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